Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, announced the decision following a proposal made by the Department of Industry and Trade to let units have more opportunities to prepare goods and disinfect business sites.

The department has been requested to cooperate with relevant authorities to list the employees and update information onto a database. Per the provided info, directors of supermarkets and convenience stores would give their employees approval documents so they can be out on the streets from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Ho Chi Minh City has been implementing a social distancing order since July 9. Starting July 26, people must also stay home from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day, except for certain cases like medical emergencies.

On August 3, the city allowed certain postal services to let their vehicles move out at night in order to minimize disruption of public and essential services.

The southern city has recorded 124,153 local Covid-19 cases since the fourth coronavirus wave hit Vietnam late April, and is the current epicenter of the pandemic.